Chicago Plastic Surgeon

The recent tragic demise of Donda West has focused attention on the credentials of her surgeon, Jan Adams. Many had thought that Dr. Jan Adams' qualifications as a plastic surgeon were impeccable because of his appearances on Oprah and the Discovery Channel. However, being on these popular TV shows does not necessarily indicate that the physicians are the most qualified or have earned the highest degrees. Although both Dr. Robert Rey and Dr. Adams are featured on TV, neither are Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

REALITY CHECK: All surgery (regardless of any preventions taken) involves risk

While seeking the services of a board certified plastic surgeon, does not guarantee the patient of a safe procedure, a board certified plastic surgeon and their practice must answer to a higher authority and a greater degree of scrutiny. For example, board certified plastic surgeons must operate on patients under general anesthesia in an accredited surgical facility whereas other physicians are not obligated to do so.

A SIMPLE ANALOGY: Choosing a board certified plastic surgeon is similar to buying a piece of electrical equipment with the UL or CE seal of approval. It does not warranty a perfect outcome but it does offer a measure of reassurance.

Learn more from the links below:

Fox News Channel Video

TMZ.com Video

Women tend to devote so much of their time and energy to their families that you may lose yourself along the way. With the hustle and bustle of everyday running around, going to practices, sports events, and school functions, mommies tend to not pay much attention to their own medical and aesthetic well being. In the rush of your day, how much time do you actually spend taking care of your own needs?

Few things in life are as rewarding as creating a family. For mothers, however, having children takes a toll on their bodies. Women can take comfort in knowing that it is now possible to turn back the clock on these physical changes through cosmetic surgery. Increasing numbers of women are seeking what is called a Mommy Makeover from their plastic surgeons when they are finished having children.

Very few women come away from pregnancy and childbirth to have their bodies bounce right back to their pre-baby figures. It is much more common that different areas of your body have reshaped themselves or shifted their locations. There is help available through the wonder of cosmetic surgery.

Dr. Otto J. Placik, Chicago cosmetic surgeon, offers a Mommy Makeover to his female patients.

What is Involved In a Mommy Makeover?

• Breast augmentation restore shape and contour to your breasts.
• Breast lifts can lift your breasts back to their original position before you became pregnant.
• A tummy tuck removes excess belly fat, tightens those abdominal muscles, and restores the overall contour of your abdomen and waist.
• Liposuction will remove excess fat from arms, tummy, and thighs that won’t go away with regular exercise.

There are many options available to you if you want to get rid of unsightly extra skin and fat now that your child is born and you have finished breast feeding. Consult Dr. Placik to decide which procedure or procedures will be best for your individual needs.

For many women, cosmetic surgery is a well-deserved reward after the physical and emotional challenges of motherhood. Mommy makeovers restore a woman’s body to its former glory, but it is important to choose a surgeon carefully. A board-certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Otto Placik can give you the top-to-bottom makeover you deserve.

Please contact Dr. Placik’s office to schedule your initial consultation and get started on the road to your new and improved body today.

Giving birth often results in body changes that may adversely affect the body image of the new mother. Unlike decades ago, when women had to deal with post-partum figure changes, today there are several exciting options in cosmetic surgery to help you get back your pre-pregnancy body. For today's busy new mother anxious to be at home with her baby, many plastic surgery procedures can be done on an outpatient basis, which means less time away from the family.

Many new mothers worry that breastfeeding may alter the shape of their breasts. Milk glands in the breasts swell and replace fatty tissue, and after childbirth, the milk glands shrink causing the breasts to sag. Plastic surgery offers natural-looking implants that give your breasts a youthful contour, and breast augmentation can be done on an outpatient basis; stitches are typically absorbable in most instances.

A breast lift (mastopexy) can reduce breast sagging by removing excess skin. Using local or general anesthesia, Dr. Placik will tighten the skin on the lower half of the breasts, lifting and firming them.

Tummy tucks (abdominoplasty) are popular post-childbirth. Pregnancy can result in laxity of the abdominal muscles causing an unsightly bulge as well as undesirable collections of fatty tissue, and loose skin. This is made worse by stretch marks and C-section scars which usually linger long after childbirth, so stomach tightening procedures may be what you are looking for to remove the excess skin below your navel.

Liposuction is the most commonly-requested cosmetic procedure after pregnancy. Many new mothers complain that they just cannot lose the fat in areas such as the thighs, buttocks, and upper arms. Your plastic surgeon can remove fat deposits that contribute to the flabbiness in those troublesome areas.

A labiaplasty can repair the damage done to the labia that often occurs during a normal vaginal delivery. Your plastic surgeon may perform this procedure as outpatient and will use either local or general anesthesia. Recovery only takes a few days, typically.

There are many options available now to new mothers who want to regain or even improve their pre-pregnancy figure. We will discuss these options with you, and together we can decide which options are best for you.

To learn more about the cosmetic surgery options available to you after pregnancy, please call or email the office of Chicago Plastic Surgeon Otto J. Placik, M.D.

Labels: Breast Lift, Labiaplasty, Liposuction, Mommy Makeover, Tummy tuck

There has been alot of media attention to the non-surgical nose job (rhinoplasty) or eye lift (blepharoplasty). This is nothing really new but just a novel way of marketing a long understood concept or procedure.

What can it achieve:

1. Correction of natural depressions of the nasal bridge giving the illusion of eliminating or minimizing a hump from the side view
2. Correction of depressions along one side of the nose correcting the appearance of a curved nose to a more straight contour from the front view.
3. Elevation of irregularities caused by trauma, surgery, or other causes.

What it can't achieve:

1. Dramatic changes in nasal contour such as reducing the size of the nasal tip or a prominent hump
2. Correction o f sagging tip
3. Correction of functional breathing problems or a "deviated septum"

How is it done? This is a simple office procedure typically using a local anesthetic followed by injection of one of several filler materials. The choice of material may depend on several factors and will be discussed in the course of your consultation. Fees typically run from as little as $350 up to $2000. Results do vary.

If you would like to learn more or to find out if you are a good candidate for a non-surgical rhinoplasty or blepharoplasty please call or email Otto J. Placik, M.D. serving patients in Chicago and the surrounding areas of Illinois, Southern Wisconsin, or Northwest Indiana.

Labels: non-surgical nose job eye lift rhinoplasty blepharoplasty injection filler minimally invasive

In a recent issue of the Annals of Plastic Surgery, a study supports no link between silicone gel-filled implants and breast cancer or other cancers.

This is one more report supporting the safety of silicone gel-filled breast augmentation and will put to rest one of the many fears that had been inappropriately raised by silicone gel opponents. Women who have and are contemplating breast augmentation should feel re-assured that the procedure will not place them at higher risk for breast cancer.

In the past their has been numerous concerns raised that silicone gel implants interfered with breast cancer screening exams. However, this latest study determined that while the sensitivity of mammography may indeed be somewhat compromised by gel implants, overall, women with implants do not present with more advanced cases of breast cancer or suffer from lower survival rates after diagnosis with breast cancer. Critically, the researchers concluded that there is no evidence of the implants actually causing higher rates of cancer.

However, this does not mean that women with breast implants should forego traditional screening and evaluation methods such as self-breast evaluation, mammography, and magnetic resonance imaging. Women with any suspicious breast masses should pursue routine examination protocols.

This is the first comprehensive study of the health effects of cosmetic breast enhancement performed in about 10 years. The lead investigators are Joseph McLaughlin, a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and a member of the International Epidemiology Institute (IEI), Rockville, MD, as well as Loren Lipworth, associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt-Ingram and a member of IEI.

Their report also reviewed numerous noncancer diseases and found no causal relationship between silicone breast surgery and conditions such as connective tissue disease, neurological disease, or birth defects in children born to women with implants.

McLaughlin states, "Few implantable medical devices have been investigated for safety hazards more extensively than silicone gel-filled breast implants. For almost 3 decades, researchers around the world have been conducting in-depth studies on the health of women with implants to determine if there are significant health risks. The evidence is clear that implants are not linked to serious disease."

If you have been contemplating silicone breast augmentation, consider a consultation with Dr. Placik or to learn more about other procedures available, contact our office via email or call us at 847-398-1660.

Labels: Breast cancer, mammogram, risks, silicone implants

When is the last time you went clothes shopping? Did you stand looking at yourself in the 3-way mirror, picking out every tiny flaw? Did you wince over those love handles, critique your skin, or even shed a tear over your sagging breasts? Perhaps you remember how you once had the confidence to walk down the red carpet alongside the most beautiful celebrities. Now you aren’t sure you even want to walk down the grocery aisle.
It’s time to stop criticizing yourself and find out what you can do to get back that spark! Cosmetic surgery, once a behind-closed-doors privilege of the rich and famous, is now readily available to anyone who wants to regain a more attractive, more youthful appearance. Of all the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures, liposuction and breast implants are the most effective in creating a ‘Hollywood’ celebrity body. Over 1000 liposuction procedures are performed every week in the U.S., while 329,000 women opted for breast augmentation in 2006.

Stop wishing the "outside you" looked how the "inside you" feels! For a consultation with Dr. Placik or to learn more about other procedures available, contact our office via email or call us at 847-398-1660.